Dale Faulkner

Dale Faulkner is a 52-year-old wife and mother of eight children and two grand-children. She grew up in New England, moved to Virginia, and now lives Hawaii with three children still at home. In February 2015, Dale was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two years later in the Spring of 2017, she opted for a double mastectomy and believed she was all clear and could continue to live a normal life with breast cancer in remission. Early in 2019 Dale got her dream job working for Hawaii Healthcare with an amazing team and could not be happier. In April 2019, Dale had abdominal discomfort and went to get it checked out.  They originally thought this was the breast cancer returning, but it was not. The doctors ran tests and she found out she had colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver, so she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Despite the grim news, Dale immediately began treatment that included chemo (something she never wanted to do) because she wanted to live for her family. When genetic testing came back, she learned that she had the BRAF mutation, making her particular cancer one of the most aggressive to grow, and resistant to chemo. Her chemotherapy medicine changed, her hair started falling out at a much greater rate than before, and Dale was told that the chemo would buy her time, but would not cure her. Plan B is to find a clinical trial that might offer more hope. Dale and her family began looking feverishly for a clinical trial but none were available. When she had further discussion from an oncologist, he mentioned she would likely not be a great candidate due to her prior cancer. A friend told Dale about a Functional Medical clinic in Tijuana that offers some hope with an alternative course of treatment. Unfortunately, they offer no payment plans or financial assistance, and the program can run as high as $50,000. Rachel (Dale’s youngest daughter) is willing to go as her companion (which they recommend) and speaks the language. Dale has been on short-term disability leave since April when diagnosed. While her insurance has covered her current course of treatment, they will not cover alternative therapies. After being out of work for almost 6 months, there is very little way for her to gather these funds without assistance.